Review Blog

Jul 22 2016

The truth according to Arthur: A funny book about fibbing by Tim Hopgood

Ill. by David Tazzyman. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408864982
(Ages: 4 - 7) Recommended. Honesty. The Truth is personified and
given the physical form of a grey blob in this story, which means
that what Arthur does to The Truth can be concretely illustrated.
This is a clever visual way to talk to children about lying and
truth, as we see Arthur bend, stretch, cover up, disguise, hide and
ignore The Truth. Unsurprisingly, no matter what Arthur does, The
Truth just keeps following him around, so he faces The Truth, and
tells his mum 'I did it'. Arthur and The Truth are then illustrated
sitting side by side, best of friends again.
The truth, told in a matter of fact manner, is that Arthur rode his
big brother's bike without permission, lost control of it, and
damaged the bike and his mum's car. These are issues that will
resonate with young children: using something that isn't yours,
accidentally damaging something, and not being brave enough to face
the truth straight away for fear of the repercussions. Parents and
teachers are often telling children that the consequences of not
telling the truth are worse than owning up to what you have done,
and this is emphasised here. When Arthur tells his mum the truth she
is not happy about the damage but is pleased that he has told the
truth. The visual aspects of the story are fantastic. Even the
stories that Arthur invents to explain the damage are given a visual
presence, providing levity and humour.
This will be a useful resource for classrooms and parents for
discussing and emphasising the importance of being best friends with
The Truth!
Nicole Nelson